Outrageous fees at COD for textbook

Outrageous fees at COD for textbook

I recently enrolled in a Humanities course with the College of DuPage. The cost of the course including a lab fee was $479.50. This is an online course requiring no classroom or actual "lab." I purchased the textbook through the college's bookstore for $142.75. The book is a 'COD only' special that contains material from another book, "Landmarks in Humanities."

That book can be purchased for roughly $50 online. The "book" I received from COD is considered a loose leaf book. To translate, that means you receive a pile of three-hole punched documents that you have been overcharged for. For $140, you'd think that you would at the very least receive a cheap binder.

According to the college's own financial documents located on their website, the college takes in over $100 million in taxes each year to support their operation, and that is only a small portion of the income they receive. This institution has grown so large it has lost sight of what it's real intended purpose is, to provide an affordable education for local residents.

I don't want to hear the arguments about how the college is 'cheap' in comparison to other colleges and universities. Just because our ridiculous costs aren't as ridiculous as the next guy doesn't change the fact that our costs are ridiculous. It's akin to arguing with another sailor that your ship is better than theirs because yours is sinking slower.

The value of an education cannot be understated, but the expense can and should be tightly controlled. This is shameful.

Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked.
If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the X in the upper right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.